Warning: spoilers ahead for Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1!
In DC Comics' Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1, the origins of the very first Red Hood and the helmet's creator are finally revealed. Long before Jason Todd or even the Joker were known as the Red Hood, a story featured in this new 100-page special issue confirms that the idea of the Red Hood was created in direct response to Batman himself. However, the notoriety the Red Hood earned was ultimately the undoing of the man who created the persona.
Featured in the Gotham City Villains anthology issue, the Red Hood story is titled "For The Sky Is Red", coming from writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Max Fiumara. In it, a man named Hank has been strung upside down by members of his own crew, who aren't too pleased with all the heat he's brought down on their gang. This is because of the Red Hood helmet and identity Hank has created. However, his intentions were meant to help his gang in response to the changes Gotham City is undergoing.
In the short story, Hank is given the chance to explain himself, letting his crew know that he created the Red Hood as a means to fight back against the changing landscape of crime in Gotham. Thanks to the efforts of Batman and his own masked identity, Hank decided that the time had come for the city's criminals to "beat the Dark Knight at his own game." By wearing the Red Hood helmet, Hank felt as though he was taking power back from the corrupt politicians and mob bosses, resulting in the gang receiving praise and adoration from their fellow criminals while also earning the Red Hood a reputation and air of mystery akin to Batman himself.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Hank's fellow members in the Red Hood Gang didn't appreciate the extra eyes being trained on them thanks to Hank's boasting and reveling in his new role. While Hank meets his demise at the issue's end, the rest of the gang still see the value of the helmet, albeit in a different role. Following Hank's death, whoever wears the helmet is no longer the leader but instead the scapegoat and distraction. Thanks to Hank, the legend of the Red Hood has become mythic enough that the GCPD (and perhaps even Batman) will be too busy going after the mask first instead of getting the gang's actual leaders.
Of course, this leads into the Joker origin seen in Batman: The Killing Joke, with a pre-transformation Joker becoming the Red Hood before falling into a vat of acid that turns his skin white and hair green. Regardless, it's interesting to learn that the Red Hood was originally meant to be a legit supervillain identity as opposed to a fake one meant to distract the cops or to obscure gang leadership, as another strand is added to an identity that is woven through Batman's history, returning in many of his most iconic moments, from the creation of the Joker to the return of Jason Todd.
